Studying Religion and Power: Conceptual and Methodological Challenges
The article offers a historical sketch of the conceptual developments and debates regarding the concept of power in the social sciences, focusing particularly on religious power. The author points out the strengths and limitations of two ways of looking at power: first, as exercised by actors with i...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
WVU
2012
|
| In: |
Religion and society in Central and Eastern Europe
Year: 2012, Volume: 5, Issue: 1, Pages: 9-19 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The article offers a historical sketch of the conceptual developments and debates regarding the concept of power in the social sciences, focusing particularly on religious power. The author points out the strengths and limitations of two ways of looking at power: first, as exercised by actors with intentions, and second, as structural constraints and forces. In terms of religious power, a distinction is made between the power of religious actors, which can include forms of power other than religious power (e.g., economic), and religious power as such, which consists mainly of relating certain structures, views, or actions to transcendent forces. Religious power in this latter sense can also be used by those who are not in religious positions. Several methodological challenges are discussed in the article, which is based in part on the author’s work in studies of religion and power in Norway. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1553-9962 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion and society in Central and Eastern Europe
|